Expectations
It was already dark by the time Sakura found her daughter in one of the many forested training grounds that littered the outskirts of the village. The moon was shining brightly up above, casting a silvery glow upon the landscape. The canopy of trees filtered out some of the light, leaving distinct rays of moonlight that were quite visible in the air.
Sakura sighed in relief as she jumped down to the forest floor from the large branch she was on. She didn't bother hiding her presence or the noise her landing made, as she wanted her daughter to know she was there.
Biting the corner of her bottom lip in a frown, the pink-haired woman took in the sight of the teenage girl repeatedly hitting the trunk of a large tree. The punches were forceful, yet controlled. A loud thumping noise could be heard each time the girl's fists impacted with the tree. She was training so diligently, so meticulously, that the sound was rhythmic, almost melodic.
Even at age fourteen, Uzumaki Yoko was already quite the beauty. Half of the boys her age were crushing on her, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that in a couple more years, she would claim the title of most beautiful female in Konoha. Naruto always said that her face looked exactly like his own mother, Uzumaki Kushina's. She had also apparently inherited her grandmother's silky, smooth hair texture. The color of her hair, however, mirrored her father's, being a bright blonde, and falling down to a little bit past her shoulders. Yoko's eyes, on the other hand, were from her mother. They were the most brilliant shade of green, and put even the most refined jade stones to shame.
Yoko wasn't just all looks though. She also had the great fortune of inheriting the best shinobi traits from both of her parents: she got her father's stamina, strength, and large chakra pools, while getting her mother's precise chakra control and intelligence. This dangerous combination meant that she started utilizing her father's Kage Bunshin training method at a very young age while also being able to soak up books like a sponge with water.
The result of such intense training is currently draped over her torso. She's wearing a forest green Jounin vest, which she obtained one year ago.
Even with the vest on, Sakura could tell that the muscles in her back and shoulders were tensed—a sign of high stress. Sakura is one of the most skilled medical ninja in the world after all, and she had no problems reading the girl's stance and posture. It was obvious Yoko was still upset.
"Yoko-chan, that was really rude! That old woman only meant well," Sakura chided. There was no bite in her words though. She simply wanted to provoke an explanation from her daughter, who had mysteriously sprinted off during their conversation with a certain shop owner.
The girl didn't say a word. The pulse of her punches didn't waver even for a second.
Sakura's frown deepened. As she stepped closer to the blonde girl, she could make out the huge chunk of bark that was missing from the tree trunk. The area that was being repeatedly pounded by fists was completely bare, having been stripped of the protective brown coating long ago. It was then that Sakura really started to get worried. Instead of being a peachy lumber color, the bare piece of wood was smudged over with a dark tint. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the stains were blotches of blood.
"Yoko, stop it!" Sakura hissed as she grabbed the girl's shoulders and forcibly turned her smaller body around to face her own.
The blonde put up no resistance. Her arms simply fell limply to her side, though her fists were still clenched so tightly that they were shaking. Her head was bowed, the strands of hair and the darkness obscuring her features.
"Now what's all of this about? You're acting like a child!"
Still no response. It was as if the girl didn't even hear her.
"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!"
Sakura's voice and temper were rising at her daughter's silent tantrum. She moved one of her hands and tilted the younger girl's chin up, causing the blonde hair to fall away to the side.
All traces of anger in Sakura melted away at the sight that she was greeted with. The moonlight illuminated the tears that were still flowing down her daughter's cheeks. The girl's emerald green eyes, an exact copy of her own, were looking back at her. Her lips were shut tight, but the slight twitching made it clear that the girl was spending a lot of effort in restraining herself and attempting to stop her lips from trembling.
A part of Sakura couldn't help but be proud that her daughter was so stunning, even in tears. Her face was radiant under the light of the moon, and gave off a silvery glow of ethereal beauty. That loveliness, along with the twin wet trails that ran down her soft cheeks, made her a heart-wrenching sight to behold indeed.
"Honey, why did you get so upset from that old woman talking about your dad? Aren't you proud of your family?"
Yoko's lips moved to form a slight frown. She jerked her head violently to the left to escape her mother's gentle hold on her chin.
"Of course I am! I love daddy! But…why does everyone always have to talk about how great he is? You don't see him going around shouting about all the things he's done!"
Sakura resisted the urge to say how he actually did do exactly that when he was younger. "He's the Hokage, of course people are going to say great things about him," Sakura explained tenderly, "Everyone respects your father because he's a great leader, and praising him is just their way of showing their admiration."
"But they always compare me to him!"
"So that's what this is about," Sakura realized in her mind. "Yoko-chan, you can't help people comparing you with your father. How can they not? Just look at you. Your face looks exactly like his, and your hair is the same shade of sunny yellow. You're such a nice girl, and to top it off, you're an incredibly strong kunoichi—you'll probably surpass even him someday!"
At that Yoko seemed to snap.
"You're doing it too! Why does everyone keep saying that? That I'll surpass dad some day?"
"Because you will! And-"
"No, I won't! How can I? How can anyone ever surpass him?" Yoko shouted in frustration, "He's the greatest ninja to have ever walked the Earth! And yet everyone still expects me to be become better than him!"
Realization dawned on Sakura as she mentally kicked herself. "Have we been putting that much pressure on her without knowing it?" She was stunned into silence.
The scene was quiet for a couple of seconds before Yoko continued, in a much softer and more subdued voice. Her head was once again bowed, as she looked down at the ground.
"Grandfather was the Fourth Hokage and sacrificed himself to save the entire village. Dad is the Sixth Hokage, grew up alone as a Jinchuuriki, and then saved the entire world. People are always saying that the next generation always surpasses the previous, but how can I possibly surpass that?" she choked out as the tears were returning, "No matter how hard I work, how much I train, how strong I get, I can never hope to match what they did!"
Sakura looked at her daughter with sadness and guilt in her eyes. She sighed and slowly shook her head. "I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I really wish you had gotten your dad's personality."
Yoko looked up at her mother in confusion, the tears still in her eyes.
"Naruto's always so confident, usually overly so. But it looks like you're more like me," Sakura gave a slight smile, "I always doubted myself too, when I was your age. It took years of training under multiple senseis and your dad's unwavering support for me to finally believe in myself."
Yoko's eyes were wide in disbelief. Her mom? Unconfident? She couldn't even begin to imagine that. Her mother is loud, violent, and every bit as self-assured as her father is. The thought that she used to doubt herself…it's crazy!
"But you shouldn't be having this problem, Yoko-chan," her mother continued with a frown, "You're only fourteen and you're already a Jounin! You're more of a genius than even Uchiha Itachi was!"
"But…I haven't done anything!"
"It's not about what you've accomplished or what you've done," Sakura said slowly, "True strength, comes when you have someone important that you will do anything to protect." She paused to let her words sink in.
Yoko looked down in thought. Her parents have always told her about the Will of Fire and how it's the power that keeps bonds together and makes Konoha strong, but she never really listened, always dismissing it as something from a childhood bedtime story that's told to inspire little kids. "Was I wrong?"
"Yoko, do you know why your dad is so strong?" Sakura asked softly.
The blonde looked up at her mother, waiting for the answer.
Sakura had a large smile on her face as she spoke.
"Because he's filled with love."
A small part of Yoko wanted to snort at her mother's cheesy explanation. It sounded like it came right out of a book. The dominant part of her, however, was closely listening to every word that was coming out of her mother's mouth.
"He grew up alone, so he didn't have any friends or family," Sakura said sadly, "But that's why he worked so hard once he did start having important people. He desperately wanted, no he needed to become strong to protect the few precious people he had. His time alone taught him to treasure his relationships with others, and it gave him a thirst for friendship that could never be quenched. That's how he was able to save the world from Uchiha Madara…not because he was powerful enough to do so, but simply because he needed to do it."
Yoko contemplated her mother's words, thinking over every syllable. Is it true? Does strength really come from the desire to protect?
It's hard to believe, that something as cliché as love is the true source of strength, but the truth is undeniable. Her mother knows her father better than anyone in the whole world, and if love is really what made him as strong as he is, then there's no denying that power.
"If dad was capable of that much love, then I should be ashamed," she thought. He had grown up with absolutely no one, yet she had two loving parents and plenty of friends. Yoko wanted to kick herself for taking them for granted and not realizing how spoiled she was.
"I'm sorry."
Sakrua was surprised that she had gotten through to her daughter so fast. She expected this to be much more drawn out process.
"I guess I really was kind of acting like a kid," Yoko said sheepishly with a small laugh.
Sakura smiled. "No, it's partially our fault too. We shouldn't have put so much pressure on you."
"But in the future, when people talk about you surpassing your father, just know that they mean in terms of your love and devotion to the village and the people. If you can do that, then the physical strength will surely follow."
Yoko nodded with a grin that was eerily similar to Naruto's as she sniffed and used the back of her hand to brush away the remaining tears on her face.
As her mother enveloped her in a hug, Yoko mentally made a promise to herself.
"From now on, I'll train to get stronger so I can protect mom and dad and everyone else, not just to meet people's expectations! And one day, I'll be a better Hokage than even daddy! Believe it!"
The Rokudaime Hokage smiled as he watched his wife and daughter embrace. He had been hiding in the trees the entire time, and witnessed the whole exchange.
"I can't believe how lucky I am to have those two," Naruto thought fondly as he gazed upon the two most important women in his life. To think that he, a Jinchuuriki, who grew up alone and hated, would have such a loving family one day…it really spoke volumes about hope and the capacity people have for change.
After reveling in the joy of the moment for a while, Naruto's mood began to shift. He started feeling guilty about not realizing what Yoko was going through, and how his words of encouragement to his daughter were actually putting so much pressure on her that she almost snapped.
"My, what a touching scene."
Naruto snapped his head around at the sound of the soft voice. He raised an eyebrow as he saw a silver-haired man perched on a branch a little ways behind him. The man's forehead protector was slanted across his face, covering one of his eyes. A facemask hid the lower part of his face as well. His one visible eye was focused on a small orange book that he was holding up with his left hand.
"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here? I didn't even notice you!"
"I was out for a walk," the man replied nonchalantly, still never removing his eye from the book.
Naruto only smiled at the man's odd response, having been long used to it. He turned back to look at the Uzumaki women, who were still embraced together. A few silent moments passed with neither man saying anything, content to simply enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
"Heh, it's ironic, isn't it? I can inspire any person in the entire world, except my very own daughter," Naruto whispered. His attempt at humor masked his sadness, though not very well.
"Of course you inspire her, Naruto. She along with the rest of the village all look up to you. It's just that there are some things that need to be said by the mother," Kakashi replied wisely.
Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered how his own mother told him that his father had said those exact same words to her on the night that he was born.
The Hokage's face relaxed and took on a genuine smile as he continued to watch the hugging females. "You're right, Kakashi-sensei. Thanks."
The man smiled with his eye before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto had the strong urge to jump in and join in on the big hug, but he restrained himself. It was a private mother-daughter moment, and him being there would just ruin it. Not to mention Sakura would probably hit him for spying on them. The thought of his wife's retribution made the Hokage bristle. Deciding it was probably time for him to leave as well, before the pink-haired woman noticed him, Naruto got up and started heading back to the Hokage's tower.
"I can see it. Yoko will definitely surpass me some day. She's the future. And the future looks bright."
[post-chapter notes]
My first one-shot! :D
I've always wanted to do a story about the next generation of Konoha, but I don't feel ready to write an entire epic story about it yet, so I settled for this. I might do one in the future though, and if I do, I'll probably reuse Yoko's character.
Hope you all enjoyed it! And don't forget to review!